Broken
by RottenSeahorse
Summary: Tony was being stupid...again...and almost died in the process. Now he's vulnerable, hurt yet healing, in a hospital bed, with a certain demi God helping him heal. Rated M. Smut/Fluff.
1. The Accident

Everything was a blur. The noise sounded as if it was coming through a thick wall, and his nerves were dulled almost to the point of absolute numbness. His eyes were closed, something was placed against his nose and mouth, and he could scarcely feel the rough fabric of a sheet over his body, stopping right below his chin. There was a lot of movement, and for a while Tony had the biggest urge to puke. He didn't though, that was good. His breath was loud in his ears, and his own blood was rushing around in his head like cars down a freeway. His heart was skipping randomly around in his chest, and he knew for a fact his arc reactor was broken. He could just tell, in his _bones_ that it was busted. Somehow. Tony didn't even understand why the arc reactor was broken. On second thought, why couldn't he respond to anything, why couldn't he move his body, why did everything sound and feel fuzzy?

Oh yea, he almost forgot.

That night had been another party at one of the rich fancy houses that belonged to a friend Tony couldn't remember ever meeting, but was referred to as a friend anyway. There was a lot of alcohol, and women. Don't forget the women. Lots of laughs, embarrassing moments, he would catch women's' eyes and see the smirk that played on their plump red lips.

That's what he scarcely remembered. All of these memories, mind you, were accompanied by a drink in his hand. Oh yea, now he knew what happened. He remembered now why he was riding in the back of an ambulance, with three or four paramedics constantly checking monitors, his arms and legs, and opening his heavy lids to see if his pupils reacted to light.

He drove home after the party, very much drunk off of his ass. He was in some deep shit with Pepper now.

His body was slow to responding to simple tests in the ambulance, and he could barely hear the muffled voices of the paramedics mutter: "_don't know…bad signs…might not make it…"_

His heart fluttered rapidly in his chest again, which was extremely painful, by the way, as his mind reeled on the idea of dying. _I don't want to die like this just yet._ He thought rapidly, his heart clenching to the thought of going in the back of an ambulance, in this painful way, without seeing his friends ever again. Faces flashed in his head.

Steve Rogers, always bright and chipper, bossing him around, getting teased. Bruce Banner, his favorite man out of the whole lot. They were brothers. They were science brothers. Thor, that crazy blonde who, he knew he was right, probably used his shampoo and conditioner to get that hair so flawless and wavy. Clint, the dorky archer who was always by Natasha's side, helping her with things she couldn't figure out. Running away whenever she would snap at him for thinking she was incompetent. Natasha, her sharp tongue, witty attitude, and deathly stare something Tony would wish to see instead of thinking of the way he was going to die.

He felt an IV drip inserted into his arm, and his heart fluttered into regular beats, not as painful as before, and his breathing evened out to almost peaceful. "_Just keep him sedated until we get to the hospital."_ He heard a paramedic say.

The ambulance turned sharply to the right, and Tony almost thought he was going to be flung out of his gurney by the force of the turn. Hands were pressed onto his side and shoulder, and he was realigned safely back onto the bed. He heard the first paramedic holler angrily to the driver.

The sirens blared in his head painfully, and after a while the hum of the ambulance against the asphalt, the murmurs of the paramedics, and his own heartbeat was muted out, so only the siren could be heard, blaring in his head as loudly as possible. He slipped into unconsciousness with the sound echoing in his head.

_**oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo**_

He came back with a loud gasp of air. The air was stale around him, and his body was covered by a warm, blue blanket. His head was propped up on a dull grey pillow, like someone left him there in case he wanted to wake up watching a TV show on the mounted TV in the corner of the room. Where was he? What happened?

Oh yea.

The accident, the ambulance. He must be in the hospital now. Everything hurt on him. He couldn't move his arms, his legs, his fingers even. The only thing he could move and tolerate the pain of was his neck and head. He closed his eyes a moment, and looked down at his chest. No light shone from the thin fabric of the hospital gown.

Shit.

He started to call out for help. This wasn't right. It was supposed to be **glowing **it was supposed to be **WORKING.** Before his voice could be heard, before the yell for help left his lips, he felt someone there already. A presence in the room that wasn't there before.

His breath came out choppy, and the presence in the room, which was sitting just out of eye shot, spoke. "It's good to see you're awake and working, Mr. Stark."

The voice was very familiar. It was so familiar it gripped his throat in an…in an _icy _grip.

He didn't look over at the form sitting in the chair next to his bed. He could tell it was sitting with a leg over the other. The form was sitting with his hands in his lap, with a cocked eyebrow, with a concerned gaze pinning on him. "I was worried you wouldn't make it through the night. But here you are."

The form stood up, the dark shadow of the man standing to his full, very tall and intimidating height. He was gracefully slender, with large shoulders and long fingers. His eyes were piercing green, and his hair was slicked down to his shoulders.

"Loki— uh…wh-." Tony began, trying to find his voice. This didn't make sense. Loki was in _Asgarde _right now. He was banished! Loki looked down at him from where he stood at the corner of the bed, next to Tony's feet. "Surprised? I guess you would have been. Seems my queries were correct." He chuckled softly to himself as he made his way across the room to the monitor beeping away.

"Vital signs are normal, happy to say." Loki said with a reassuring smile. His smile formed back into a simple thin line, but his eyes danced with mischief as he looked back at Tony, pinning his gaze.

"Why are you on earth?" Tony choked, feeling his heart flutter in his chest, and hearing the monitor give a short beep. Loki picked up the clipboard that rested on the nightstand next to Tony's bed, reading it. "I have told this to Thor many times before," Loki began, clenching his knuckles at having to mention his older brother, "I have many secret exits in Asgarde that not even Odin knows about. I wouldn't worry though; Thor knows of my whereabouts and is keeping me under watchful eye. Now you shouldn't be so rude to your doctor, Mr. Stark, wouldn't want me…making a miscalculation in your medication, now would we?"

Tony's jaw went slack. For once, he had nothing to say. No way in hell was he letting Loki _take care _of him. He wouldn't anyway. Loki would neglect him. He wanted a new doctor.

"I want a new doctor." Tony stammered out after having much difficulty to speak before.

Loki looked down at Tony with a wide smirk plastered on his perfectly pale face. "I was the only doctor available when you…dropped in, Mr. Stark. I am also the only doctor up to score on your medication and, I've actually checked with the other doctors and nurses at the hospital and they don't have the time to treat you. Looks like it's your lucky day!" He chipped in, a mocking smile growing.

Tony just stared in shock at Loki…no…at his caretaker, and felt himself seem to slip down into the bed more. "It's not glowing like it should." He finally murmured, feeling completely beaten up and exhausted. He hasn't felt this way since the end of the phenomenal battle between the Avengers and Loki the infamous. "Hmmm? Ah yes, well, seems your source of energy was busted very badly in the wreck _you _caused." Tony winces, biting his lip in guilt. That was the thing Loki was planning to do, eh?

"Sadly, this bloody hospital doesn't have the technology to remake your reactor, so your heart is connected to this here monitor," he patted the large machine beeping away next to Tony's head, "so it keeps your heart beating steady and the…shrapnel away from your precious heart." Loki smirked, putting the clipboard down on the nightstand again.

His voice went down to a gruff murmur as he leaned in to Tony's ear, totally sending quivering shakes down the millionaire's spine. "Let's keep this our little secret. But Loki Laufeyson sure knows a thing or two about energy and technology, and life forces. Don't worry, Man of Iron, you're reactor will be restored soon enough…that is…if the machine doesn't die out before then." He let out another deep, dark chuckle as he stood back up to his full 6'2'' height.

He patted Tony's covered leg before closing the door behind him as he left.

Tony sat up in the bed, his eyes widened and shaking just barely. This wasn't happening. This…_couldn't _be happening. Loki was in charge of keeping him _alive_! What were the odds of that happening? Was this some horrible karma getting back at him? Was there a shift in the universe that arranged this to happen? Was this finally karma getting back at Tony for almost destroying the nation and world with his weapons of destruction?

He sighed long and loud, dropping his head so his scruffy chin brushed against his collar bone. The emptiness of light in the room made Tony feel empty. He wasn't so used to not having the arc reactor's soft comforting glow always with him. He didn't feel right.

The machine beeped loudly for a second, making the millionaire flinch in his bed before having to relax himself to fall back into slumber. He couldn't do anything about it. His phone was probably destroyed in the wreck. He closed his eyes tight, wishing the gang would notice his absence soon enough to go looking for him.

Doubt flickered in his mind for a moment that the hospital already gave the call to the Headquarters….so everyone knew…and probably wouldn't be visiting anytime soon. They probably thought he was in a coma or something. He tried moving his arm up, but received sharp pain as his arm quivered violently in protest. God…what did he do to get this much pain in his body? Did he hit a tree? Did he flip the car? If so…how did he survive?

He fell asleep with panic fresh on his eyes, and nightmares flickering on his eyelids.

_**OOoOoOoOoOoOoOo**_

Tony woke up the next morning with his body aching in sharp pains. Loki was there when he woke up. "Ah, vital signs look good. How are you feeling Mr. Stark? Any pain I need to check on?"

Tony bit his tongue. Yes, there was some pain he was dealing with, but he wasn't going to tell Doctor Loki. He didn't want his help. He didn't ask for his help. Loki clicked his tongue, licking his dry lips a moment. "I will found out either way if you are feeling any pains, Man of Iron, but if you tell me you can spare yourself for getting scolded and a minor punishment."

Tony felt his cheeks flush red, and his head slumped against the pillow. "My legs feel like they're on fire." He let a moment pass as Loki moved over to his legs. "What happened to me? How bad was the…the accident?" Tony asked, his voice cracking at the memory of how he wound up in this bed.

Loki's eyes flickered over to Tony's but quickly shot down to his legs again, sighing and choking back a stammer. "Are you sure you want to hear?" He asked after a moment.

Tony nodded his eyes stinging with the threat of coming tears. He didn't know why he was getting the urge to cry; maybe it was because his mind was conjuring up the worst possible things right now.

Loki put his long hands delicately on Tony's legs through the bed sheets, and Tony hitched his breath through clenched teeth and he twitched from the pain. It felt like his leg was being coated with lava, and he could barely take it. Loki shook his head, "That's not a good sign."

"Tell me what ha-happened." Tony barked, choking back the pain in his voice.

Doctor Loki stood up fully, eyeing the millionaire through narrowed green eyes. "If you insist." He paced the room. "From the report the police gave me, you were speeding 30 miles over the speed limit down the I-540 at around 12:46 a.m. A car was pulling out into the intersection, legally, as you came crashing into its side. There was no passenger or child in the car, but the driver was flown from the vehicle as it rolled across the street. You were thrown through the windshield, rolling across the hood of your car and skidding across the asphalt for 20 feet before stopping at the curb. Your head hit the ground twice, and your ribs and legs were badly battered by the glass and metal from the other car. The driver…is in the hospital right now. Dying." Loki looked worriedly at Tony. "I have hurt and killed many people, Man of Iron, and I shouldn't be saying this, being in my position, but you _killed _someone. You killed someone because of your _recklessness_!"

Tony felt his body go slump on the bed as the story unfolded before him. Someone was dying, almost dead, because of him. Loki was right. The bastard was **right. **Tears spilled down his cheeks as his mind revealed what he had done, and what was to come. Loki stared at the crying, beaten and broken man before him, looking so vulnerable in the hospital bed. "Stop crying. You look like a child." Loki spat, his voice quavering as well.

Tony ignored his comment, letting the held in tears pour down his cheeks, wetting his hospital gown. "s-Stop." Loki stammered, shocked by what he saw before him. He moved up next to Tony's bed, looking down at him like he was dealing with a whining child and didn't want to handle it.

Tony shook his head, his throat choking on his own tears.

Loki narrowed his eyes, moving over and grabbing Tony's chin with one slender hand, lifting it up so he could catch his gaze. "I said _stop it_. Man of Iron, you're acting like a child. Face the penalties like an _AVENGER_, won't you?" Tony looked deep into the glistening, cold green glare of his Doctor, and suddenly the tears stopped flowing, and his face softened a bit. "I'm no better than the monsters I protect the city from." He murmured when Loki's hand brushed out from under his chin. He dropped his head back down, and he stared at his dead arc reactor in anger.

Loki bit his lip and walked back around to the other side, checking on the beeping machine as it measured Tony's heart rate. "Monsters kill without any emotion, Tony, believe me, I would know what a monster is. You are not a monster." He glared at Tony, tears wetting his eyes, "I'm more a monster than you will ever be."

Tony didn't understand why he wanted to comfort this ex criminal, but he did. His hands twitched underneath the bed sheets as he felt the urge to lean forward to bring the older man over to him. He resisted the urge, and watch as Loki stood with his back to him for a moment. He could hear the God's breath's come out choppy, thick with emotion.

"Ring the buzzer if you need anything." Loki stated before he walked out stiffly, slamming the door behind him.

Tony was left in silence, with the gloom of the morning light washing through the closed blinds. Loki just did something Tony thought he would never see, and that was his weak side. He let him see his vulnerability; he accidently opened up a void into his life that Tony half wished he never saw.

The man was a broken shell. His mind was in turmoil, his emotions churning and mixing in his mind and heart like a bag of snakes, writhing and hissing, churning with hostility and mistrust. He wanted people to think he was okay, especially Tony, who was his patient. He wanted Tony to know he wasn't affected by the battle that he lost. He wanted Tony to know that he didn't really lose. But he did lose. He lost so much _more _than the battle that day.

He lost his willpower. He lost his wanting to go forward, to show people what-for. And Tony felt sorry for him. He pitied the God of Lies. And he hated himself for feeling that way.

_**OOoOoOoOoOoOoOo**_

_The hands he held entwined with his own felt ice cold and…they shivered. "_Stop acting like such a baby_" He heard himself say to the form sitting in front of him. He was in his hospital bed, but he wasn't alone. There was someone sitting on the bed with him, sitting just at his legs, staring at him with hostile eyes. _

_Tony could see who he was looking at, yet he couldn't believe it. "_I'm afraid I've lied to you, though Man of Iron_" the form whispered, the green eyes that watched him dilated and tears slipped into his eyes. _"This thing in your chest," _his doctor reached out, putting the tips of his fingers delicately against the dead arc reactor at his chest, _"I do not have the knowledge or magic to fix it. I lied to you, I shouldn't have._"_

_Tony didn't react to his lie, because he expected much. His heart clenched and he heard the machine beep loudly next to him. His eyes narrowed the longer he gazed at Loki, and he clenched his hand around Loki's more, and he bit the inside of his cheek. _"You are angry_." Loki murmured in despair as he saw the look in Tony's eyes._

"No."_ Tony lied, feeling his throat close up as the realization of death dawned on him. Depression sunk into his head as he stared deeper into Loki's eyes. How much they resembled a beautiful green sea…like the Florida Gulf. _

_Loki's eyebrows furrowed closer together, and he grit his teeth together. Loki shifted on the bed, closing the distance on him and his patient, until Tony could smell the sharp mint gum on his breath. _"Don't lie to me, Man of Iron._" He hissed, his nose almost touching Tony's. _

_Iron Man felt the room heat up, and he sucked in breath through connected teeth, feeling his body heat up in embarrassment and arousal. Loki's gaze flickered down to Tony's lips before he met his eyes again. _"I can see the look in your eyes, the way your body fidgets and tenses underneath me. You are aroused, yes?" _His breath was a whisper, cascading over Tony's neck and body almost tantalizingly. Tony shook his head, biting his tongue. _

_He received a smirk in response. _"You must understand you cannot lie to a Lies smith, Mr. Stark. You cannot fool me. I turn you on. This position we are in, the physical contact between our hands, the closeness of our bodies and lips, they get you excited. Do they not?" _God damnit this man was torture. _

_Tony couldn't answer, his tongue wouldn't move, his lips couldn't form words, yet he didn't push Loki away as his doctor closed the gap between their lips. It was heated, intense. God this was wrong…but it felt so right. Tony felt the older man's arms wrap around him, in a delicate hold. The kiss intensified, as Loki forced Tony's head to lie against the pillow, making Tony practically pinned down._

_Loki broke away from the kiss for a moment to mutter, _"We don't have to Tony—." _Tony lifted up his arms and dug his nails into Loki's buttocks, silencing his words. "_Shut up." _Tony murmured. _

_**OOoOoOoOoOoOoOo**_

What the fuck was that?

He woke up later in the day, heat floating around the room, his forehead slick with sweat, his lips dry, his body aroused. That dream…what sparked that? His sigh was jagged and choppy, and he rubbed the sweat from his brow.

"Sleep well?" Loki asked from where he stood, over by the window. Jesus Christ that man was a shadow. No **way **was he here before! Tony flinched at his sudden appearance in the room, and closed his legs so his erection was harder to see through the sheets.

"Yea. Yea I slept fine." Tony replied, feeling sharp pains in his arms as he moved them back down to his sides. He was vulnerable, and he prayed the sheets covered up his sudden erection that sprouted from the dream he had. What was that about anyway? Loki? Kissing Loki. Yea. That's a funny one. Next maybe he can go announce his undying love for Director Fury.

His doctor turned around to face Tony, his body silhouetted by the light shining through the partly opened curtains. The only thing Tony could see was his eyes. And- they were _glowing_. His eyes were fucking _glowing_…like…bright emeralds. They looked moody, angry, confused, maybe even scared? Well, this was Loki, a very ruined (emotionally and physically) demi God forced to disguise himself on Earth.

"You were making noises in here, Stark. I thought something was wrong." His eyes flickered down to the floor, and he moved to the end of the bed. "I was wrong."

Tony felt his cheeks flush different shades of red. Did he…did he somehow (moan) talk in his sleep? He bit his lip in anxiety, which wasn't healthy, as his machine beeped frantically to the beat of his heart. Loki cleared his throat, his glowing emerald eyes going down to the clipboard he had in his hands. "I should be ready for the surgery." He stated.

Surgery? For what?

Loki cocked an eyebrow, mumbling something under his breath, noticing the billionaire's absence in reply (and his dumbfounded, thoughtless look). "To fix your Arc Reactor, dumbass. I have everything ready. I have the magic to keep you alive while my doctors work and try to fix it." He chewed on the end of his pencil, cutely (tony took note of this), and stuffed the clipboard under his arm. "All we need is your word. Are you ready?"

Tony felt his body grow hot and sweaty, and he fidgeted in the sheets, ignoring the pain he got. "I guess tomorrow I'll be mentally stable for surgery. What about…the rest of my body? Will it just heal normally or…?"

Loki grumbled to himself and checked the keyboard, "You have to be on pills in a little while, since you're going to be off the IV drip next week. Your legs aren't shattered, which is good, but you had some very bad tissue damage and you did break an arm. That will take time to heal. Your other arm is just badly scraped, probably asphalt burn."

Tony bit the inside of his cheek. He said **weeks** right? Wonderful.

Tony could hear the air shift in the room, as if it got thicker, more hostile. "You're easier to read than a preschool book, Stark. I can tell you're pouting over the thought of dealing with me for a couple more weeks. But remember, if it wasn't for me you'd have probably been in a coma…or dead. So. Let's try and make these weeks bearable?"

He furrowed his eyebrows at his patient, the glowing green eyes narrowing like lasers. Tony kept his gaze locked with Loki's knowing looking away only meant he was weak. "I never said I was _pouting_ about being here. You're presence here has actually been bearable and I rather can tolerate it better than some of my 'superhero buddies'. But yes, **doctor reindeer games **I'm very _pleased_ to be dealing with you for more than a week."

Loki paused at the door, his mouth a thin line and his eyes pinned on him in vague amusement. "Let me know if you need anything." He stated before closing the door. There was a moment where Loki stood there, leaning against the room door, gripping the clipboard to his chest, his eyes distantly gazing at something unimportant. Did Stark just…compliment him, in his own rude, cynical way? He sighed softly and closed his eyes a moment.

This was going to be a long, horribly wonderful week.


	2. Tony Gets A Visitor

The next day was the first day Tony had a visitor. It was Steve.

"The team heard about the accident." The super soldier said the minute he walked in. Tony opened an eye, watching Steve as he placed the flowers he gripped stiffly in his hand on the nightstand next to him. Steve looked up at the machine, his eyes swimming with shock. "Oh Tony…" Was all he could say as he stared at the machine beeping away the heartbeats in Tony's chest.

"Does it really look that bad?" He joked, sitting up in the hospital bed, wincing at the pain it brought him. Steve didn't say anything, but watched his friend turn to face him. "You look like shit, Stark!" Steve blurted, his eyebrows furrowing. "I'm so…_angry_. The accident was all over the news! _How could you be so reckless?_"

Tony winced. God he was just like doctor Loki, lecturing him when he didn't have a right to. Speaking of the demi God…where was he? Surely Steve would have run into him in the hallway…Something wasn't right.

"Where's your doctor?" Steve questioned, looking around the room in slight curiosity. "I kind of want to know how you're doing." Tony felt a lump rise in his throat. Steve would probably respond differently to a highly ranked criminal tending to his dear friend.

"I –uh." Tony began to explain, but before he could get a few words out, a woman dressed in a simple doctor's coat with scrubs underneath walked in, her long black hair tied back in a ponytail and her eyes glowing green behind glasses. "I have surgery planned for noon, Mr. Stark." She paused, catching Steve's eye. Her eyebrows furrowed.

"I forgot you had a visitor." She responded.

Wait who the hell was this?

Steve smiled politely, although his hands clenched at his sides. "Are you his doctor?" Tony was shaking his head, but the woman nodded curtly. "Yes I'm Doctor Spring. Is there anything I could help you with?" Tony opened his mouth to protest, but Dr. Spring shot him a glance that got him to stop. Her eyes were green, just like Loki's eyes, and they were…glimmering in mischief.

Okay. Got the clue.

"I just wanted to know how this dumbass is doing." Steve laughed heartedly, and the doctor blinked and cocked an eyebrow before going to her(his?) clipboard. "He has a couple or so weeks to heal, as I can guess by my diagnosis." She cutely pushed her glasses further up her nose and coughed. "He actually has a surgery today at noon."

"For what, if you don't mind me asking?"

She pointed at Tony, her eyes practically smiling. "He shattered his arc reactor, and we plan to fix it."

Steve, being as oblivious as he normally was, nodded, "So how long could the surgery take? Because he's expected to get more…visitors." Tony narrowed his eyes. Perfect.

"A couple of hours…Mr. Rogers." She replied. A moment passed of complete, awkward silence before Doctor (Loki)Spring nodded curtly, "I will come and get you in a few minutes, Stark." And left hastily.

"Who was she?" Steve asked, almost breathlessly, and Tony cocked his eyebrow and stared at Steve for a long moment. "Apparently she was my doctor." Steve looked over at his friend, "She wasn't that bad to look at, actually. Let's hope Pepper doesn't see her."

Tony bit his tongue. "Hoping with all of my might, Capp." Steve coughed momentarily and patted Tony's shoulder. "I wish ya luck, man, with your surgery." They both looked at each other, and Steve momentarily snapped his gaze to the heart monitor in worry. "Dude, don't worry I'm going to be fine. As long as this thing is running, I'll be okay. And honestly, the sooner this surgery is started and finished the better, I'm sick of that beeping sound. It's about as bad as Natasha's whining."

Steve chuckled for a moment, his smiling lighting up just like it always did when they would argue about silly and absurd things. As the soldier got up to leave, Tony coughed shortly, grabbing his attention. "Make sure the guys visit me, alright? It gets lonely here."

Steve chuckled again, "I wouldn't be that lonely with a Doctor like _that_." He replied. They both smiled at each other, and Steve left.

A couple minutes later, Doctor _Spring _entered, her plump lips curved up in a wicked smile. She pushed her black ponytail back from her shoulder as she came over by Tony's nightstand, grabbing the flowers and putting them into a case of water. "I really had him going." She said, smoothly, darkly, before her body morphed quickly back into Loki.

"Holy shit." Was all Tony could say as he watched the woman morph back into the doctor he had from the start. "How?"

"Simple: magic, Stark. I don't plan on meeting up with Captain Humorless there."

"Hey, the man has a good sense of humor, Loki. He sure had one today."

"Hmmm, and I wonder why _that _was." Loki purred, his green eyes shining mischievously. Tony ignored the comment. "So I'm ready for surgery."

Loki cocked an eyebrow, his eyes glimmering to a serious tone and his mouth moving into a thin line. "It's risky business we're dealing with here, Man of Iron. I hope you know this."

Tony gulped loudly, fidgeting underneath the hospital sheets. "How risky?"

"Let's just say, one little slip in this surgery could kill you, Stark. Which honestly, a villain like me would be _**thrilled**_ to have that chance but…as much as I hate to admit it, and this is the Lie smith, here, you've grown on me for the short time I've had to _tolerate _you."

Tony smirked at that, despite the silent mental breakdown he was having inside his head. It was difficult to charm a psychotic, emotionally deprived demi God. Tony deserved a fucking award for this. Maybe the award would be not to _die _by the end of this week.

"So," Loki began, slipping over to Tony's IV, "you're ready? Splendid, we should get started." Tony watched as a needle poked into the IV bag, and suddenly felt exhausted. Nurses started to appear through the door as they helped him onto a moving bed, and he slipped into darkness as they reeled him down the hallway.

_**oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo**_

Loki stood grimly to the side, his gloves removed and his hands firmly grasped onto the broken arc reactor. "Rupert, get the supplies, and don't fucking _hesitate _with them this time. This is a serious surgery and every second _counts_." Loki snapped to a nurse. The man nodded hastily and shuffled across the floor, grabbing the supply tray and setting it down next to Tony's sleeping body. Nurses hussled around him as he focused his energy into his hands, sending energy into Tony's heart.

God-damnit he could _feel _the shrapnel in his fingertips, inching toward Tony's precious heart, trying to dig their sharp edges into the ventricles. Another doctor, two more, joined him at the operating table, their hands scrubbed and ready for procedure. Loki felt his eyebrow twitch. "So you have the prototype ready?" Loki hissed through his mask.

"Yes, he has many in his office. We were able to get one, and now all we need is to remove them. This could take a while, the arc reactor is shattered, and they could be possibly killing him." Loki felt his heart lurch in his chest. "Then let's get started." He responded.

_**oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo**_

There was a _lot _of pain when Tony woke up. He felt like he was asleep for mere seconds. He only knew it had been _days _when no light shone through the open window. It was morning before operation. He sighed and looked around the nicely lit room.

Wait.

The lights weren't on…then…

He looked down at his chest, and to his utter surprise found a brand new arc reactor glowing brightly in his chest. "Wh—…Jesus Christ. I missed **you**."

The door opened, and yellow light flooded through, almost frightening Tony from his stunned state. "_LOKI_! You…you did it!" Tony exclaimed, a smile plastered on his tired and worn face.

Loki's face was grim, his smile nowhere to be found. Well, this wasn't surprising but…Tony honestly thought the God of Mischief would be relieved to know his surgery was a success. "Loki…what happened." Tony wondered, more of a statement then a question.

His doctor looked up at Tony, and slowly made his way around to the chair next to his bed, only to collapse in it. Tony got one look at his doctor before he said, "Holy shit Loki you look…_terrible._"

"Thank you." Loki hissed, his eyes narrowing, the bags under his eyes seeming to grow the more he glared. "It's alright though. Although I almost killed myself in there…the surgery worked. You lived, I successfully completed a surgery."

"You almost…d—." Tony began.

"I fed my magic into you like a fucking _water fountain_, Tony. I was scared shitless thinking it wasn't enough to keep you stable through the surgery, so I put in more than you needed, and it practically killed me…" Loki tired looked down at his hands, watching as a faint, very distant blue glow shimmered from his fingertips, and then quickly die out. He sighed long and hard.

"You…were scared? About me?" Tony asked his eyes wider than saucers.

"Shut up, idiot, I didn't mean it like that. You _know _what I meant."

"Seems the little demi God has some soft feelings! Never knew that. I'll keep that in mind!" Tony laughed tiredly, smiling when he got shot a glare from him.

"You're an idiot."

"And you're in denial." Tony responded, feeling suddenly 10 years younger.

The older man sighed, gritting his teeth and rubbing his temples. "You're not worth arguing, Man of Iron."

"Just means I won." Tony responded under his breath.

He suddenly felt the man's form very close to his, and when he turned over to Loki's general direction, he was practically nose to nose with him. "Sometimes I wonder why I agreed to be a doctor. I _hate_ dealing with people. Especially the idiots that act like you." He hissed.

Tony felt his body get hot, and his cheeks flushed red. His eyes shortly looked down to gaze at Loki's lips, which were drawn back in sneer. His voice was a whisper now, "And you certainly don't know how to deal with physically injured people either."

Loki's cheeks flushed red as well, and he pulled back quickly, straightening his coat. "A nurse will be here shortly with some food, Stark. Just…just shut up and watch some TV or something." Loki tossed the man the remote, and left before saying another word.

Was it just him or…did they have a moment right there? Tony chewed on his lip a moment before turning on the TV and flipping through the channels. Why was he wondering? It wasn't something to ponder about…besides…he didn't…he _didn't _like men like that. At all…

Tony was brought food later on during the day. It was brought to him by another nurse he's never met before with short brown hair that was choppy and cut at her shoulders. "Doctor Laufeyson told me to give you a light meal today." She stated curtly, sitting the tray in Tony's lap and moving the remote to his grasp. On the tray was half an apple, mashed potatoes, a carton of juice, and some chicken strips or something over the potatoes. "I'm in a hospital on a high school." He mumbled to himself. The nurse laughed for a moment and turned on the TV for him. "You have more visitors, Mr. Stark."

She left quickly, leaving the door open as Tony cocked an eyebrow and shoved his mouth full of mashed potatoes and chicken. Steve was back, along with Natasha, Clint, and Bruce. "Oh, what Meat head couldn't visit me today?" Tony asked, chuckling. Thor had been residing in the Stark tower lately, spending less and less time in Asgarde, or with his mortal girlfriend.

"He went to Jane's." Clint responded, pulling up a chair next to Stark and laying his feet on the bed. "Cartoons? What are we twelve?" Tony snorted through his food, downing the juice in two gulps. "What? Looney Tunes are a kid's medicine, and it seems to be cheering me up right now, unlike you." Steve chuckled, and Bruce uncomfortably shifted from foot to foot, staring at the dead machine next to Tony's bed.

"Hey! Your arc reactor! It's fixed!" Steve exclaimed, clapping his hand on Tony's shoulders. The sheer force of his movement caused Tony to flinch and wince, and the Captain removed his hand, sheepishly grinning. Bruce narrowed his eyes, thinking thoughtfully for a long moment. "How were they able to get the arc reactor working? Isn't it like a…complicated machine?"

Silence gripped the hospital room, and Tony sat up in the bed, trying his best to think of a reply to that wonderment. "Maybe uh…maybe my doctor is just another genius. They probably put a battery in it for all I could know." He laughed, tapping the arc reactor with his left hand, the only one that was able to function without intense pain now.

Bruce's grim expression slowly morphed into one of joy, and he laughed along with the others in the room. Clint clicked his tongue a moment. "So Capp tells me you have a smokin' hot doctor. Where is she? I wanna take a look at her." He said, getting a smack in the arm from Natasha.

Tony felt his throat go dry. Did…did Loki know there were visitors in his room? His skin went very pale, paler than it already was, and he eyes flickered to the door. The door was slightly open, but he could spot Loki coming toward it, a hand outstretched to pull it open. He paused when he saw the others in the room, his fingers about touching the doorknob. In a split second, he had changed back to his other form, the female doctor Steve had met.

Tony's heart thudded in his chest, and he awkwardly smiled as…Female Loki entered. She set her clipboard on the bed post near his feet and checked her watch. "Little late for visitors, isn't it Stark?" She joked, a smile breaking out on her red lips.

Clint cocked an eyebrow at the doctor, standing up from the chair he was lounging in. Female Loki smiled warmly at the visitors, but her eyes shone in hostility. "You must be the little group Stark keeps telling me about." She politely said, outstretching her hand to Natasha. Black Widow grabbed it, shook it, and she went around the group like that.

"Stark, eat more of your food." Female Loki commanded, furrowing her eyebrows at Tony as he picked at what remained of his food. Steve laughed heartedly for a moment. "Wow and I thought it was Pepper's job to treat you like a toddler, Tony!" Tony saw Female Loki's lips purse in annoyance as she scribbled something down on her keyboard before coming over to Tony's bedside. "Chin up." She stated, almost coldly.

Tony obliged, lifting his chin only to have a flashlight beam into his eyes. He blinked, groaning in distaste. "Well, good to know you're responsive. The drugs are wearing off from the surgery. Finally." She said, flicking the flashlight off and stuffing it into her pocket and letting his head drop back down. He blinked a moment and Bruce awkwardly shifted from foot to foot. "Well," He began, looking over at Steve, "we'll go and tell Pepper you're getting better. And tell Nick you probably need a leave of absence for a while."

Tony smiled at him, nodding and saying goodbye to all of his friends before the left, closing the door behind them.

Loki collapsed in a chair, running her fingers through her hair a moment before turning back into the doctor Tony had before. "I'm getting real sick of being her. Believe me." He muttered.

"Why do you even disguise yourself? Why not just come in as yourself?"

Loki scoffed, leaning forward in his chair, "Ah I suppose you want to see me getting beaten to death by your team? Man I really thought you were intelligent."

Tony rolled his eyes in response. "Come on, think man. They're very intelligent creatures. Don't you think they would wonder why you're a doctor, and then come to the conclusion that you're _saving my life_? Come on. Think about it, Doctor. They wouldn't exactly break out into character just then. They've got sense."

The God chewed on his thumb a moment, his eyes moving around to look at something other than his patient. "I- Well. I don't know. I guess you make sense."

"Of course I do. Now, go be a dear and get me some more juice? I'm rather thirsty." Tony gave one of his cocky smiles as Loki glared at him. "Whatever you say, Stark." He stated. He made his way out of the room, his scrubs pants swishing loudly in the still air. Tony caught himself staring at Loki as he left. He blinked, coughing momentarily.

_**oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo**_

The next week was a long and aggravating week. No one else visited him that week, which Tony took to heart, and Loki had to humor him with his own company and kind nature. Loki wasn't going to lie, he was enjoying spending time with this blundering idiot…this beautiful intelligent idiot, but he wasn't going to let anyone know that.

Yes. He did have feelings for the billionaire, but he didn't want to. Gods, he was a banished criminal who almost _**killed **_Stark in the great battle of Manhattan! Like Stark even shared the same thoughts as him. And even if he did…

No he wasn't going to think about it. Stark was a patient. That was all. Nothing more, nothing less. Although Loki was very concerned about Stark's current condition, he was also worried about himself. He prescribed himself with depression medication, and instead of fixing his current depression mood swings, they only made him worse. He honestly tried with all of his might to not lash out at Stark whenever he was present around him.

Although, he did have to leave for a number of occasions to go to the bathroom, where he kicked, beat on things, screamed into his hands and cried. He didn't understand why…but he just _needed _to. He should really get off those pills.

A week had only gone by, and while Loki had scheduled Stark to get out of bed for rehabilitation the following week, Stark was already whining about getting out of bed to move around. Of course, Loki agreed with the playboy, but the annoying whines really didn't help. They grated on his nerves a lot.

"Alright, Stark, if you're so ecstatic about getting back on your feet, why don't you get up and demonstrate for me how wonderful you are!" Loki joked, motioning toward the space in the room. Tony's face immediately drained off all pride and color. "I uh…right now?"

Loki smirked and cocked an eyebrow. "Yes, right now! Why, regretting your words?"

Tony responded just how Loki wanted him. He angrily threw back the sheets, letting his feet get some air. He gripped the chair next to his bed as he shakily got to his feet. Yes, there was some searing pain as his weight was put on his feet, but he grit his teeth, flashed Loki a pained smiled, and started to shuffle along the floor.

It didn't go over well, because he was crumpling to the floor the minute he took a step.

Warm arms went around him as he was helped back onto his feet. Tony groaned in pain, and shuddered violently against Loki as he was placed back on the edge of the bed.

"I'm sorry," Loki stated, his voice so husky he could pull a sled (Tony laughed at the observation). "you were not ready to walk and I deliberately got you to do it." Tony felt Loki's hands on his shoulders, and could feel the God's breath running down his neck, which sent shivers.

"It's fine, doc." Tony said, shaking off his hands gently.

"Get back in bed, Stark. You look sick." Loki said, his eyes filled with worry.

"Doc, if you didn't know before, but this is just my face. I always look sick." Tony joked reluctantly getting back in bed and slipping the covers back on. Loki's eyebrows furrowed on his face. "Stark, you know me by now, and your Midgardian sense of humor does not affect me like others."

Stark chuckled, and rolled his eyes. Getting the God to laugh was a lost cause by now, but surprisingly he wanted to keep trying to get the raven-haired man to chuckle, in the least. Loki rolled his eyes at Tony, and checked his watch. "Do your legs hurt?"

"You mean more they already constantly do?" Stark replied rather smart-alecky. Loki furrowed his eyebrows and clenched his jaw. Without commenting, he placed a hand firmly on Tony's reply, nodding when the man hitched in his breath in pain at the contact. "Well that's not good."

Loki pulled back the blanket. He firmly grasped Tony's ankle, pressing the other hand gently against his knee. Blue magic emanated from his palm, and Tony felt a cooling sensation as the magic passed through him and soaked into his bones, and with a gasp of air he felt the pain _leave his body. _

"What was that?" He gasped when Loki removed his hand. His doctor stared down at his leg a moment before looking up. "The tendons in your leg didn't properly heal…I fixed it." He stated. Stark blinked a few times, before the right words came to mind. "If you're able to music magic, and if you just magically healed my ripped tendon, why didn't you use magic on me in the past? I would have been out of here by now!"

Silence filled the air.

A look of frustration flushed over Loki's face before he replied. "I believe mortals should be cured with mortal medicine."

Stark sat up more in the bed, slipping his leg back underneath the covers. "Then why did you use your weird…voodoo magic on me?" He watched Loki closely as his doctor's eyes flickered with momentary fear. "Sometimes I forget my own principles, is all." He quickly turned away from his patient and headed for the door.

"Wait…Loki." Tony called back. His doctor paused at the door. So many things burned at the back of Tony's throat. There was so much that he wanted to say, but he almost…couldn't bring himself to do it. Finally, he couldn't hold it in, and he almost blurted it out loudly. "How much do you care for me?"

Loki paused at the door, and turned slightly at his words. "You are my patient. I care about my patients."

"Yes, I get that, but…what more than that?" He asked, his fists clenching the sheets. There was a reason he was using his magic on him, I mean Loki practically injured _himself _trying to save his own life…he didn't understand what was happening.

Loki paused in the doorway, half of his body already moving into the hallway. "I don't…understand?" He asked, his voice quavering at the end, as if he was afraid to even ask. God damnit why couldn't he find the right words? "Never mind…I forgot what I was going to say…take care, Doc." He settled with that. Yea, that was a better response.

A look came over Loki's face, a look that Tony couldn't shake off. His eyes swam with…something that ripped through Stark. It looked like…pain. A deep, heartfelt pain. He couldn't exactly understand _why _the look was there…but…he almost wanted to cry. "You are a good man, Mr. Stark." He stated. And with that, he left.


End file.
